Zipper lubricator



Oct. 16, 1962 F. w. SCHOTSCH ZIPPER LUBRICATOR Filed Dec. 5, 1961 INVENTOR. SCH

FRITZ M 0 T CH ATTORNEY?- AGENT Unite The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates generally to a lubricator device for lubricating zippers and, more particularly, to an improved lubricator device facilitating lubrication of a clothing-type zipper with improved efficiency.

The increased use of zippers on articles of clothing as a replacement for buttons has placed emphasis on problems of operation of the zipper in such a manner as to ensure against any breakage or malfunction thereof which might effect damage to the clothing. Since the use of a zipper involves the meshing of opposing sets of separate teeth and, in addition, involves the manual slidable operation of the talon therealong, the amount of friction inherent therein becomes of considerable importance to reduce any losses as a result of broken zipper parts. As a normal occurrence, the manufacturer ensures that the zipper is properly lubricated in order to substantially reduce such failures and malfunctions and thus prolonged the life of the zipper. However, continued use of the zipper gradually expends the lubricant thereon and thus increases friction therein, resulting in reduced zipper life. Frequent laundering and/or dry cleaning of the clothes equipped with the zipper further aggravates the problem by expand ing the available lubricant incorporated in the zipper at an even faster rate. In accordance therewith, it is obvious that under the above-described circumstances, zipper life is substantially reduced. Obviously, some means of providing lubrication for the Zipper in the laundry or dry cleaning establishment became of extreme importance, if excessive zipper wear and possible clothing damage is to be avoided. As a result thereof, the zipper lubricator of the instant invention has been developed and it constitutes a unique and improved zipper lubricator facilitating improved lubrication of the zipper. Moreover, the zipper lubricator of the present invention presents an economical way for the laundry or dry cleaning worker to quickly and easily lubricate the zippers of laundered or dry cleaned garments which have been found diflicult to operate.

An object of the present invention, therefore, resides in a new and improved zipper lubn'cator device facilitating the lubrication of clothing zippers on a relatively large scale.

A further object of the invention provides a zipper lubricator having a minimum of moving parts and yet insuring an economical manner of affording proper lubrication of the teeth of the zipper.

A still further object of the invention utilizes improved means for insuring a source of lubricant for substantially prolonged use without the need for frequent replacement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, in section, of the zipper lubricator of the invention, illustrating details of the major component parts inassembled condition.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational View, looking in the direction of arrow A of FIG. 1, illustrating additional details of the zipper-receiving slot incorporated in the metal tube States ater 3,058,144 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 casing utilized with the invention of FIG. 1 and in disassembled condition.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the copper tubing utilized with the invention of FIGS. 1 and 2 and in disassembled condition.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the zipper lubricator of the instant invention is indicated generally at '7 as including a cup-shaped, metal tube casing 3 closed at the bottom end and open at the top, a removable cap 1 for closing the top of said tube casing 3 and a rigid mounting arm bracket 2 mounted as shown on one side of said metal tube casing 3 which bracket 2 may be utilized for mounting the inventive zipper lubricator 7 to a metal post which may be located at a convenient or central point within a laundry or dry cleaning establishment. Positioned in concentric relation within said metal tube casing 3 is the upright copper tubing 5 which tubing 5 is adapted to contain a supply of lubricant and, as such, constitutes the lubricant tube of the inventive zipper lubricator 7.

Said lubricant tubing 5 is equipped with a lubricant inlet or filler opening indicated schematically and in broken-away form by the reference numeral 8 through which inlet 8 lubricant tubing '5 is filled with the desired lubricant which flows downwardly in the direction of the arrows towards a bottom outlet opening 9 (note FIG. 3) incorporated in said lubricant tubing 5. The aforesaid copper or lubricant tubing 5 is mounted in contacting relation on the lower or bottom surface of metal tube casing 3.

The aforementioned cup-shaped metal tube casing 3 also incorporates or is filled with a supply of felt padding indicated generally at 4 which supply of felt padding 4 is positioned therein in the space provided between the inside walls of the tube casing 3 and the outside circumference of upright copper tubing or lubricant tube 5. Said supply of felt padding 4 also extends from the bottom surface of metal tube casing 3 upwardly to an uppermost level which is at a slightly lower level than the inlet or filler opening 8 for lubricant tubing 5.

As seen clearly in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the previously-mentioned bottom outlet opening 9 formed in lubricant tubing 5 consists of a transversely extending opening or bottom recessed or channel portion which is in open communication between the interior of said lubricant tubing 5 and the bottom portion of said tube casing 3 at opposite ends thereof. Thus, lubricant supplied to lubricant inlet or filler opening 8 is continuously fed downwardly throughout the length of lubricant tubing 5 is indicated by the arrows to outlet opening 9 from whence it is supplied, in turn, to the bottom portion of the space surrounding said lubricant tubing 5. The felt padding 4 within said surrounding space becomes moistened from botom to top and gradually saturated, at which point, the lubricant being supplied thereinto is continued to be fed into filler opening 8 until said lubricant tubing 5 becomes completely filled to act as a reservoir. Thus, lubricant continues to be supplied therefrom to automatically maintain the saturated condition of said felt padding 4 until the supply of lubricant is exhausted or tubing 5 is refilled; however, the aforesaid reservoir of lubricant is sufficient to last for a prolonged period and additional supplies of lubricant can then be added thereto at irregular intervals depending, of course, on the degree of use.

With specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a key feature of the instant invention consists of a zipper tooth-receiving opening or lip portion clearlyillustrated at 6 as incorporated within the side wall surface of said tube casing 3 at a position remote from the previously-mentioned mounting bracket 2 which opening 6 extends inwardly to an inner opening portion in communication with the interior of said tube casing 3 at a point below the top level of supply of felt padding 4. Said zipper tooth-receiving opening 6 is relatively elongated and restricted in form for the accommodation of the teeth only of a zipper to be lubricated. The latter are inserted in slidable relation or passed through said opening 6 to effect a relatively slight or gentle contacting relation across the saturated felt padding 4 found immediately contiguous to the aforesaid inner opening portion thereof. In this manner, only a very thin film of lubricant is picked-up and applied to the working surfaces of the teeth of the zipper to effect proper lubrication thereof. Any excess lubricant found within the felt padding 4 of tube casing 3 settles in the bottom-most portion thereof as indicated generally at where it becomes gradually absorbed by the felt padding 4 after use of the inventive zipper lubricator.

Thus, a new and improved zipper lubricator device has been developed by the present invention wherein lubrication of the teeth of preselected zippers is facilitated without involving any moving parts. Further, a greatly simplified arrangement has been incorporated in the present inventive zipper lubricator in the incorporation therein of a novel lubricant tubing as at 5 for initially supplying sufiicient lubricant to the felt padding 4 until the latter becomes saturated, at which time, lubricant tubing 5 acts as a lubricant reservoir for a substantially prolonged period. Moreover, the incorporation of a simplified and yet built-in lip portion as at 6 through which the teeth of the zipper to be lubricated are passed, constitutes a unique and improved means for efiecting the necessary lubrication with a minimum of time expended.

I claim:

1. In a zipper lubricator, an upright body element having an open upper end portion adapted to be closed by a removable cap element and a closed bottom portion, an upright lubricator device disposed in concentric relation on the bottom surface thereof within said upright body element adapted to contain a supply of lubricant therein and terminating in upper inlet and bottom outlet portions, a supply of lubricant-absorbing material positioned within said upright body element on the bottom surface thereof in surrounding relation to said upright lubricator device and extending upwardly to a portion terminating short of the upper open end of said lubricator device, transversely disposed, lubricant outlet slot means incorporated within the bottom outlet portion of said lubricant device initially acting to transfer lubricant supplied to said upper inlet portion to said absorbing material until said absorbing material becomes saturated from bottom to top and subsequently acting as a lubricant reservoir to automatically and continuously supply lubricant to ensure saturation of said absorbing material, and relatively restricted slotted, lip opening means formed in the side wall of said body element and extending from an innermost opening portion in contact with said saturated absorbing material to an outside lip, zipper-receiving opening portion adjacent the outside wall of said upright body element and adapted to receive therein the zipper to be lubricated.

2. A zipper lubricator comprising an outer cup-shaped, main casing portion, an inner upright lubricant tubing positioned within said main casing portion in concentric spaced relation therein and incorporating an upper, inlet means adapted to receive a supply of lubricant thereinto and a lower outlet means positioned therein adjacent the bottom surface of said main casing portion and in open communication with the interior of said lubricant tubing for diverting lubricant being supplied thereto by said upper, inlet means into the space disposed between said upright lubricant tubing and said main casing portion, a supply of lubricant-absorbent material for absorbing lubricant diverted through said outlet means until saturation is reached disposed within said main casing portion in surrounding, contacting relation between the outside wall surface of said inner upright lubricant tubing and the inside wall surface of said outer casing portion and extending upwardly from the bottom surface thereof to a position short of the upper, inlet means, and zipperreceiving, relatively elongated lip-like, transverse slotted means incorporated Within the side wall of said outer casing portion and extending inwardly to an inner opening portion contiguous to the supply of lubricant-saturated absorbent material at a position substantially below said upper, inlet means.

3. Means for lubricating the meshing teeth of a clothing zipper comprising a main housing and a transversely extending relatively narrow zipper-tooth-receiving slot in the side wall thereof at a predetermined position relative thereto, a relatively elongated lubricator tube arranged within a compartment formed in said main housing in spaced relation relative to the inside circumference thereof and incorporating lubricant inlet means located above the transverse slot of said main housing for feeding lubricant supplied thereto into said lubricator tube and lubricant outlet means located contiguous to the bottom of said main housing directing lubricant received within said tube outside said tube into the space between said tube and the inside circumference of said main housing and subsequently acting as a reservoir for automatically supplying lubricant to the space between said tube and said mian housing, and a supply of absorbent material extending to an uppermost position substantially contiguous with said lubricant tube-inlet means and substantially above said zipper tooth-receiving slot of said main housing and positioned within the space disposed between said tube and said main housing absorbing the lubricant diverted thereinto from said lubricant tube-outlet means until saturation is reached, said transversely extending, relatively narrow slot of said main housing extending outwardly from a position contiguous to said saturated supply of absorbent material a limited extent to terminate in a relatively elongated and narrow zipper-tooth-recciving lip portion adapted to receive the teeth of a zipper to be lubricated in drawn, absorbent material-contacting relation therethrough.

4. In a lubricator device for lubricating the teeth of a zipper, a relatively enlarged, cup-shaped lubricator element opened at the top and incorporating a restricted opening means in one side wall thereof and extending therethrough to oppositely disposed wall opening portions adapted to slidably accommodate the teeth of the zipper in insertable relation therein and in substantially contiguous relation to the inside wall opening portion, an inner lubricant tube arranged within said cup-shaped lubricator element in spaced relation to the inside wall surfaces thereof, absorbent felt material incorporated within the space formed between said relatively enlarged lubricator element and said inner lubricator tube and extending in contiguous relation to, and at a higher elevation than, the inside wall opening portion of said restricted opening means, lubricant filler means incorporated in the uppermost level of said lubricant tube and at a higher elevation than the inside wall opening portion of said restricted opening means of said surrounding lubricator element and said absorbent felt material, and lubricant outlet means formed in said lubricant tube adjacent the bottom of said surrounding lubricator element supplying lubricant stored inside said lubricant tube by way of said filler means outwardly therethrough into the space formed therearound and in an upward direction to immerse said absorbent felt material in saturated condition therein.

No references cited. 

